Ghostly Competition
by JK rulez
Summary: Another halfa comes to Amity Park. When he and Danny meet as ghosts, a hard battle ensues to determine who is better. But what will happen to the one who is not? Finished!
1. The New Kid

Summary: Another halfa comes to Amity Park. When he and Danny meet as ghosts, a series of contests ensue to determine who is better. But what will happen to the one who is not?

_Hi, people! How is everything? This is JK rulez with a brand new Danny Phantom fanfic! I've had a little bit of trouble thinking up another story, which explains why I've been off for the last couple weeks. But now I have something, and we'll see how you like it._

_I give you Chapter 1! Oh, and I don't own Danny Phantom._

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter One: The New Kid**

Danny Fenton sighed as he and his best friends, Tucker Foley and Sam Manson, walked to school one Monday morning.

Sam turned to him, "Pretty big sigh, Danny."

Danny turned to her and said, "How can I not sigh like this? I had a ton of homework over the weekend, but once again, the ghosts just kept on coming. I only got about half of it done."

Tucker replied, "Well, better half than none at all."

Danny sighed again, "It's times like this when I wished someone else handled the superhero work around here."

You see, Danny was not a normal kid. He happened to be Danny Phantom, the town's half-ghost protector. An accident in his parents' ghost portal gave him ghost powers.

With his new powers, Danny helped his town of Amity Park whenever possible.

Answering his comment, Sam said, "Danny, look around you. There's nobody else in Amity Park to protect these good people except you. It's your responsibility."

"I know. I'm just saying it can get pretty nerve-wracking."

At this point, the three of them had now arrived at Casper High. They walked inside, got their things, and after homeroom, headed to their first class: English with Mr. Lancer.

The three of them walked in just before the bell rang. Lancer smirked, "Right on time, you three. I wouldn't want your brand-new week to start off with detention."

The trio smiled as they took their seats. Lancer stood at his desk and said, "Now class, before we begin, I have a little announcement."

One student put her hand up and called out, "Are you getting married?"

"No."

Danny put his hand up and asked, "Are you retiring?"

"Not a chance, Mr. Fenton."

Dash threw his hand up and said, "Are you getting fired?"

"Very funny, Mr. Baxter, but no. We have a new student today." With that, he walked over to the door and opened it. In the doorway stood a rather tall teenager. He had brown hair in a buzz-cut. He had blue eyes and a blue shirt that said, "Ghosts _are_ Real", jeans, and gray sneakers. A red backpack was suspended on his shoulders.

Lancer said, "Everyone please meet Steve Reynolds. He's come here from New Jersey. Steve, why don't you tell the class something about yourself?"

Steve looked around the room with a hesitant look and said quietly, "My name is Steve. I'm fourteen, and I don't feel like saying much, Mr…"

"Mr. Lancer, Steve. Now I'm going to need somebody to show our new classmate around and show him his classes for today. Anybody?"

No one raised their hands.

Lancer narrowed his eyes and said, "Thank you for volunteering, Mr. Fenton."

Danny responded, "But I didn't raise my…"

Lancer glared at him.

Danny sighed as he knew he was stuck, "Yes, Mr. Lancer."

"Steve, please seat behind Mr. Fenton in the black hair. He'll show you around for the day."

Without a word, Steve walked to the seat behind Danny and sat down.

_(He's a Phantom)_

_(Danny Phantom, Phantom, Phantom)_

_**Yo, Danny Phantom, he was just fourteen  
When his parents built a very strange machine  
It was designed to view a world unseen**_

_(He's gonna catch 'em all 'cause he's Danny Phantom)_

_**When it didn't quite work, his folks, they just quit  
But then Danny took a look inside of it  
There was a great big flash, everything just changed  
His molecules got all rearranged**_

_(Phantom, Phantom)_

_**When he first woke up, he realized  
He had snow-white hair and glowing green eyes  
He could walk through walls, disappear and fly  
He was much more unique than the other guys  
And it was then that he knew what he had to do  
He had to stop all the ghosts that were coming through  
He's here to fight for me and you**_

_(He's gonna catch 'em all 'cause he's Danny Phantom)  
(He's gonna catch 'em all 'cause he's Danny Phantom)_

_**Gonna catch 'em all 'cause he's **(whisper) Danny Phantom_

Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat at lunch later that day.

Danny sighed as he bit into his sandwich, "Man, what a morning. Well, at least showing around that new kid was easy. He was so quiet he didn't say a word."

Tucker asked him, "Where is he anyway?"

Sam pointed to a table in the corner of the cafeteria, "Over there." At the table was Steve, eating in silence and privacy.

She turned to her two friends and suggested, "Maybe we should go sit with him."

Danny scoffed, "What for?"

"Danny, come on. He's new. He's lonely."

Tucker answered, "Judging from the way he looks, he might always _want_ to be lonely."

"Tucker, he's probably just shy. Danny used to be like that."

Danny replied, "Yeah, but I hadn't just moved here."

Sam raised an eyebrow, and Danny sighed, "Alright, lets go sit with him."

With that, the three of them got up and took their trays over to Steve's table. Sam said to him, "Hello."

Steve responded simply, "Hey."

Sam said, "Uh, I'm Sam Manson." She pointed to Danny and said, "You've already met Danny." Then she pointed to Tucker and said, "And this is Tucker Foley."

Steve answered, "Nice to meet you."

Tucker asked, "What's the skizzle, fizzle?"

Steve this time said nothing and continued eating.

Sam asked him, "Could we sit here?"

Still eating, Steve answered, "Whatever."

The three of them sat down.

Danny tried to start up a conversation as he looked at his shirt, "So…you believe in ghosts?"

Steve answered, "Yep."

Sam asked him, "Have you ever seen one?"

"Yep."

There was silence again.

Tucker said, "So…why did you come to Amity Park?"

Steve stopped eating and looked up at him. He said in a rather soft and cold tone, "I don't want to talk about it."

Tucker quickly responded, "Okay, gotcha."

Just then, Dash and Kwan, two bullies who liked to give Danny a hard time, walked up to their table. Dash chuckled and said, "How you doin', Fentony?" Then he picked up Danny's carton of milk and poured it onto Danny's head. Danny growled and said nothing.

Dash then turned to Steve and said, "Oooh, the new nerd. How you doing, pal?"

Steve ignored him.

Dash scowled and said, "Hey, I'm talking to you! What's the matter? Can't you talk? Can you even say your name? Do you even know where you came from?"

Steve slammed his utensils onto the table and stood up. Sam, Tucker, Dash and Kwan found themselves in awe as he stood up. Danny wasn't surprised since he had to walk around the whole morning with someone who was almost a foot taller than him. Steve was about four inches higher than Dash, who was six feet tall.

A few people at the other tables looked awestruck as well.

Steve glared down angrily at Dash and growled, "My name is Steve. And let's get one thing straight. For however long I am here, you're gonna leave me alone. And if you're smart, you're gonna leave these three alone too, because they're the only ones who have tried to be my friend today. Or else, you're gonna regret it. Understand?"

Dash stuttered at Steve's height, "Uh, you got it, pal. We're never gonna bother you anymore. And never them, either. Let's go, Kwan."

Dash quickly walked away, with Kwan following. The others instantly started chattering with stupefied looks on their faces.

Steve took a deep breath and sat back down, and then continued eating.

Tucker shouted, "Dude, that was slamming! You just told Dash off!"

Steve responded, "No big."

Danny wiped the milk off his head and said, "And it looks like you got him to leave _us_ alone too. Thanks!"

Steve smiled for the first time and said, "Don't worry about it, Danny. Oh, and for the three of you…thanks for being so kind."

Sam smiled back, "Don't worry about it."

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. The four of them got up and threw their stuff away, and then went on to their next classes.

_Well, that's gonna be all for now. Oh, and just so you know, I based this new character off of myself. The height, the hair, the eyes, and the former residence…they're from me. Anyway, things haven't gotten very interesting yet. But Steve is starting to open up a little more. What will happen next? Find out in Chapter 2!_


	2. The New Ghost

_Hello, folks! Everything okay? Sorry I haven't updated, I only got one review, so that's why. I'm probably over expecting because my fourth fic, "When Teen Heroes Collide", did so phenomenal. But to whoever reads, please review! Also, I've found the summary for the next episode, "Secret Weapons", to air on November 18! Check out TV . com for the summary._

_And now, here is Chapter 2! I don't own Danny Phantom._

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Two: The New Ghost**

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Steve went to their lockers and met up at Danny's.

Tucker turned to Steve and asked, "So how was your first day, dude?"

Steve shrugged, "Okay."

Danny, who was warming up to the new guy, asked, "So what do you say we all head somewhere? Steve, how about your house?"

Steve's eyes flickered for a second and he said, "Uh, no! I mean, you know, I just moved here and things are kind of crazy there. In fact, I have to get going now. Lots of unpacking to do."

Then before the trio could respond, Steve hurried out the door of Casper High.

Danny watched him go and said, "Okay, that was weird."

Sam answered, "Well, he did just move here. Let's just give him time."

With that, the three of them headed outside and down the street towards Danny's house, where they had agreed to go.

Just then, the cold bluish mist came out of Danny's mouth.

Danny said, "Uh oh."

A second later, there was a crash, and the Box Ghost flew out through the trees, laughing. He yelled, "I am the Box Ghost!"

Danny sighed, "Oh, great. I don't have time for you right now."

Nevertheless, a ring formed at Danny's waist and split, with one going up and the other going down. As it did, his red-and-white shirt and jeans was replaced by a black-and-white jumpsuit with a D with a P on the inside of it on his chest. Also, his sneakers changed to white boots, his blue eyes changed to a glowing green, and his raven-black hair changed to snow-white as he become his alter-ego, Danny Phantom.

Danny flew up and shouted, "How do you keep getting out of the Ghost Zone?"

The Box Ghost responded, "Do you honestly think your silly pentagonal portal can hold in the might of the Box Ghost?"

A bunch of boxes flew up next to him as he continued, "Now tremble as I smash you beneath the former items of…" He looked at a label on one of the boxes and finished, "Oh, right. Randolph Mitchell of Houston, Texas!"

With that, he threw all the boxes at Danny, with the items flying out of the boxes and towards Danny with the boxes. Danny sighed and went intangible, and the boxes flew harmlessly through him.

Danny then powered up a ghost ray and said, "You think boxes can get me? Let's see how a ghost ray works on you!"

Danny was about to fire, but just then another ghost ray from the side blasted the Box Ghost and knocked him to the ground.

Danny watched the Box Ghost fall and shouted, "What? Who the heck did that?"

He saw his ghost sense go off again and then saw someone flying towards him. As he or she approached, Danny saw that he or she had black hair, a blue-and-purple jumpsuit, white boots, glowing green eyes, and the words "Spirit" on his or her chest.

Danny then noticed the ghost approaching him was a boy, and a pretty tall one at that.

Danny shouted, "Who are you?"

The ghost responded, "I am Steve Spirit. And I got this moron, pal." Then without giving Danny a chance to respond, Steve flew down toward the Box Ghost, who had started throwing his boxes at him. But instead of phasing through them, Steve swung his leg and rapidly started kicking them all back at the Box Ghost. Several of the boxes pelted him and knocked him back to the ground.

Danny watched in awe as Steve flew down to the Box Ghost and pulled out some kind of bottle.

Danny called out, "What are you gonna do? Pour water on him?"

Without replying, Steve pulled a cork off the bottle and held it open towards the Box Ghost, and started sucking him in! As he was being sucked in, the Box Ghost shouted, "I shall return! You cannot escape the power of the B…" He didn't finish as Steve put the cork back on.

Danny flew toward Steve and said, "What kind of bottle is that?"

Steve replied, "A ghost trapping bottle that my grandfather made. And you must be Danny Phantom. The good ghost around here."

Danny asked, "Uh, how do you know me?"

"I've seen you on the news. But get this straight, Phantom. Now that I've arrived, I handle the town-saving business. You go find somewhere else to be a hero."

Danny instantly shouted back, "What? No way! You can't make me stop doing the superhero stuff!"

"Believe me; I'm doing this town a favor. I'm way better at the powers than you."

"I can, and I will." With that, Steve fired a ghost ray at Danny, but he quickly dodged it.

Steve said, "That was just a warning. I've had a pretty good day, so I'm letting you go. But once again, if you see any ghost activity, just walk away. You got it?"

And before Danny could answer, Steve flew away, leaving Danny glaring at him with an angry look in his eyes.

* * *

Danny was steaming as he tried to focus on doing his homework.

Tucker asked him, "Dude, you okay?"

Danny grumbled, "I'm fine."

Sam said to him, "You don't seem fine to me."

Danny slammed his pencil down, stood up, and shouted, "I'M FINE!"

Tucker and Sam both stared at him, blinking without saying anything.

Danny sighed as he sat back down, "I'm sorry, guys. I just keep thinking about what that jerk of a ghost said to me back there."

Sam said, "Oh, I know. That guy had no right to tell you to stop saving the town."

Tucker turned to Danny and said, "If he knew that you were a hero around here, he should be honored to meet you or something. Instead, he's trying to take your job."

Danny said, "He's jealous. And he's wrong. I'm better than he is."

Sam shrugged, "I don't know. He beat the Box Ghost pretty good today."

Danny slapped his forehead in frustration, "Sam, we're talking about _the Box Ghost!_ Anyone can beat that moron in a snap!"

Sam sighed and closed her books. Danny asked, "What are you doing?"

Sam got up and said, "I just remembered why they called it _home_work. See you later." She left, with Danny calling, "Oh, come on!"

Danny slammed his fists into the table in anger. Tucker, seeing this, also closed his books and got up, saying, "I better leave too before somebody gets hurt. Go cool off for a while. Later, dude."

Danny sputtered in disbelief as Tucker walked out the door and left.

_Sorry if that chapter was pretty short, but it seemed like a good place to stop. Anyway, Danny's gotten pretty angry after seeing this snobbish new ghost. Will he cool off soon? Let us wait until Chapter 3! R/R!_


	3. Another Halfa

_Sorry about the wait; things have been kind of crazy with me lately. Anyway, I've gotten the one review I wanted on Sunday night, so this fic will continue! For now._

_After the long wait, I give you Chapter 3!_

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Three: Another Halfa**

The next day at school Danny wasn't feeling much better. He was still pretty mad at what the new ghost Steve Spirit had said yesterday. But he had cooled down a bit, and Tucker and Sam had decided to walk with him as usual.

At lunch they noticed that the new kid, Steve Reynolds, was sitting by himself again.

Noticing this, Danny asked them, "You guys want to go sit with the new kid again today?"

Sam shrugged, "Why not?" With that, the three of them got up and walked over to Steve's table as he ate in silence.

Tucker said to him, "What's up, dude?"

Steve gave a small smile as he saw them and said, "Nothing much. You wanna sit down?"

Sam answered, "Sure." They sat down and started eating again.

Trying to start a conversation, Danny said, "So…how was your afternoon yesterday? Did the unpacking take long?"

Steve's eyes flickered for just a second, but the moment passed, and he said, "Uh, no. Not really. Everything's done."

Danny spoke for the first time in the conversation, "That's cool. What do you say we come over after school and check out your place? You know, see what kind of stuff you…"

"No!"

Danny, Sam, and Tucker all looked surprised as Steve quickly said, "Uh, I mean, we still need a little bit of time. We're still getting used to living in this new town and we just need to be by ourselves until we get used to everything. Maybe next week…or maybe later than that."

The trio just looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Right…okay, then."

Just then, Danny gasped as the blue mist came out of his mouth. Out of his ear, he heard Steve gasp as well. He turned to Steve and saw him whistling innocently.

There was a crash as something burst through the ceiling. It was a ghost that seemed to resemble a vampire. He had red eyes, a cape, and an evil sneer. It was Danny's arch-enemy, Vlad Plasmius.

As everyone else screamed and ran from the room, Danny whispered, "Plasmius."

At the same time, Danny and Steve said, "I'll be right back."

Danny took off out a door in the left side of the lunch room while Steve ran out a door in the right side. A pair of flashes later, Danny Phantom flew back into the lunch room and Steve Spirit flew in as well.

Not noticing Steve, Danny shouted at Plasmius, "What are you doing here, Plasmius?"

Vlad smiled, "Oh, I was just in the neighborhood so I thought I'd drop in. Plus, I happened to hear rumors of a new half-ghost residing in Amity Park."

Both Danny and Steve said, "New?" They both looked at each other and shouted, "Hey! What are you doing here? Stopping this freak! No, I'm doing it!"

Danny shouted, "I've known this guy way longer than you!"

Steve yelled back, "I'd stand way more of a chance against him!"

Watching the two ghosts fight, Vlad smiled, "With both your defenses down, I can handle you both easily." Then he fired ghost rays from the palms of his hands. They both hit them and knocked them down.

Danny and Steve got up, and Danny shouted, "See what you made me do!"

Steve shouted back, "Me? That was all your fault!"

Danny sighed, "Oh, enough of this!" Then before Steve could stop him, Danny flew straight at Plasmius. He projected his patented shield with his hand and Danny hit it and bounced backward.

Chuckling, Steve said, "Oh yeah. _That_ was brilliant. Allow me." Then he flew at Plasmius, who projected another shield. But Steve dropped below it and fired a ghost ray at him. But Plasmius turned around and the ray hit the shield and bounced away.

Danny smirked, "Bravo. I've never seen such heroics."

Vlad rolled his eyes, "Oh, brother. This is boring, just watching you two go at each others necks." Then he formed a second Vlad. One Vlad flew at Danny, and the other flew at Steve.

Vlad tried to punch Danny, but Danny ducked and leg sweeped him, tripping him up. From on the ground, Vlad hit Danny with a ghost ray and knocked him backward.

The other Vlad fired a ghost ray at Steve, but Steve flew out of the way and flew straight at him. But Vlad quickly grabbed Steve by the neck and started shocking him like he did to Danny in his last visit to Amity Park.

Danny, who was still flying at the wall, quickly fired a ghost ray at the wall. The force of the blast it sent softened the blow. Vlad smiled, "Very clever, Daniel. But you know you can't win."

Danny responded, "We'll just see about that!" He flew at Vlad, but just like his duplicate, Vlad grabbed Danny's neck and started shocking him as well.

Both the teenage ghosts screamed in pain, and as they did, a white ring formed at both their waists and suddenly Danny Fenton was in one Vlad's hand, and Steve Reynolds was in the other Vlad's hand!

They were able to see themselves transform as the Vlads released them and they fell to the ground.

Vlad formed back into one and said, "Well, at least I know who the new hybrid is. That's all I need. Ta ta for now, my young adversaries!" Then he flew away through the hole in which he had made.

Danny and Steve watched them go, and then they both turned to each other.

The two teenagers stared at each other in disbelief, as well as Sam and Tucker, who had both watched the fight from behind the counter of the cafeteria.

Danny and Steve both said, "Y-you're that ghost kid?"

_That's going to be all for now. Well, I'm sure you were all expecting that. But there's still plenty more that happens after this. How will Danny and Steve react to realizing who they are? Find out in Chapter 4!_


	4. The Challenge

_Hi, people! I am EXTREMELY sorry for the long wait; I have basically been losing interest with writing this fic. But I found time over the Thanksgiving weekend and started writing._

_Here we go! Chapter 4 is here!_

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Four: The Challenge**

Danny and Steve just stood there, staring at each other in complete awe, as well as Sam and Tucker.

Danny and Steve got up to their feet and walked toward each other, never taking their eyes off each other; they weren't even blinking.

Shaking his head, Danny said, "I can't believe it."

Also shaking his head, Steve responded, "Neither can I."

A few seconds passed. Then Steve softly muttered to himself, "Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom." Then he slapped his forehead, "Man, I'm stupid. How could I not figure it out? Also, same hairstyle, same structure, same voice."

Danny replied, "I often wonder how others don't recognize me either. At least you have a ghost name that isn't so close to your human name."

Steve then said, "Danny, do you remember what I said yesterday?"

"About what?"

"About me taking over the town-saving duties."

"Yeah?" Danny hoped Steve would apologize and take back what he said.

"It still applies. I'm the best."

Danny glared at him in disbelief, "What? No way!"

Steve folded his arms, "Yes way. I'm better."

"How long have you had your powers?"

"Exactly three weeks."

Danny laughed, "Well, there you go. I've had them for nine months now. I have more experience."

Steve raised an eyebrow, "You think so?" Then he fired a ghost ray at Danny, still in human mode. It struck Danny with his guard down and knocked him backward.

Danny got up and said, "Whoa. It took me a few months before I could fire a ghost ray in human mode. How do you know how to do that already?"

"I'd tell you if I wanted to, but it's really none of your business. Nor is this town's protection.

Danny growled, and then fired his own ghost ray at Steve. This one hit Steve and knocked him down.

Scowling, Steve got up. He said, "Well, you are pretty good. But not at my level."

"You want to prove that?" Danny yelled.

Steve narrowed his eyes, "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet."

Steve smiled, "Very well. We meet at 7:00 this evening at the big tree in the park, and we battle. Whoever wins becomes the unofficial protector of Amity Park. The loser forfeits all superhero activities. Agree?"

Tucker said, "You don't have to do this, Danny."

Sam added, "There's no need to prove to this guy how good you are."

Danny listened to their words and sighed, "Maybe not, but I still have to prove it to myself. Steve, I agree."

"Good. See you tonight, Fenton."

And without another word, Steve turned around and walked out of the room.

* * *

It was 6:30 later that day, and our favorite trio sat in Danny's living room, thinking about the upcoming battle. 

Sam asked him, "Danny, are you sure you want to go through with this? You're taking a chance here."

Tucker said, "Yeah, what if you lose?"

Danny sighed, "You both heard what he said as well as I. And there's no point in backing out. I already said I'd go."

Sam responded, "But Danny…"

Danny interrupted, "Look Sam, you guys were both right yesterday. I'm sorry I snapped at you, by the way. I saw Steve in action, and he was pretty good, even if it was just the Box Ghost. And he wasn't that bad against Vlad either. I just have to prove to myself if I'm better than Steve. If I am, then great. I know that I'm pretty good. But if not, then that's life."

Tucker and Sam looked at each other, and then back at Danny. Tucker said, "Look, dude. We both understand you might be making a mistake going along with this."

Sam picked up, "But the fact is that we're your friends. And we're always here to support you. We wish you nothing but luck."

Danny smiled, "Thanks, guys. That means a lot to me."

Tucker looked at his PDA and said, "Oooh. Danny, it's twenty of seven. We better get going."

"Alright," said Danny as he stood up, "You guys gonna come?"

"You bet," said Tucker.

"Without a doubt," added Sam.

With that, Danny and his loyal friends walked out of his house.

* * *

Arriving at the big tree at the park fifteen minutes later, the trio looked around and noticed that no one was around. 

Sam checked her own watch and said, "He's still got five minutes."

Danny sat down at the base of the tree and waited. Sam and Tucker did the same.

As the minutes past, Danny's fingers, which lie on the ground, started shaking a little bit.

Noticing this, Sam asked Danny, "Are you nervous?"

Danny responded, "What? What makes you say that? Come on, Sam. Of course I'm not nervous."

Sam chuckled and shook her head, "Same old Danny."

Looking at his PDA, Tucker said, "You may not have anything to be nervous about. It's now 7:03 and our newest ghost is nowhere in sight."

A voice rang out, "That's because I am somewhere out of sight."

Danny's ghost sense went off as Steve Spirit phased up through the ground in front of him.

Folding his arms, Steve said, "Glad to see you could make it, Fenton."

Danny got up and replied, "You're late, Reynolds. Where were you?"

"None of your business," Steve replied coolly, "Ready to fight?"

"Listen, Steve. I've been thinking. How about instead of proving who the best is, we team up?"

Steve raised an eyebrow, "Team up?"

"Sure. Two powerful ghosts like us, we could be a threat to any ghost we see."

Steve chuckled and said, "Yeah, that's funny. Look, Fenton. Here are two reasons why that's not gonna happen. One, I work alone. And two, fighting beside a weaker hybrid like you would just bring me down."

Danny growled, "After that crack, now I _want_ to fight you!" With that, he transformed into Danny Phantom. After he did, he turned to Tucker and Sam and said, "You guys better watch from a distance. Don't want you getting hurt."

Sam raised her hand, "Could I officially begin the battle?"

Steve sighed, "Fine. Go ahead."

Sam ran over between the two ghosts and said loudly, "This is a one-on-one battle between Danny Fenton and Steve Reynolds, a.k.a. Danny Phantom and Steve Spirit with no time limit. Winner becomes the unofficial protector of Amity Park while the loser forfeits all superhero duties. The winner will be decided when the other is declared by me as unable to battle. Everybody agree?"

Steve nodded, "I agree."

Danny nodded as well, "Let's do this."

"Okay," Sam said, "Begin the battle!"

_We're gonna leave it there for now! Sorry if this is going a little fast and undeveloped, but I actually want to get it done soon. It'll get better, I promise. Anyway, Danny and Steve's battle is about to begin! Who will come out on top? Danny or Steve? Find out in Chapter 5!_


	5. Phantom vs Spirit

_Ahoy, mateys! How is all? Since I got more reviews than usual (one more) and since I was more in the mood than usual, I was able to bring you Chapter 5 now. Also, did any of you see the commercial for the Ha-Ha Holidays starting next week? I'm sure you saw clips of Danny Phantom's special, "The Fright Before Christmas". Can't wait for it! It's on December 6 at 8:30 PM. Don't miss it!_

_Along with that, "Secret Weapons" is scheduled to air on December 9 at 9:00 PM! It was postponed from November 18, but this time I think it's genuine. Two DP premieres in one week! How cool!_

_Now that that's out of the way, here we go with Chapter 5! Danny and Steve's battle can now begin!_

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Five: Phantom vs. Spirit**

Sam got out of the way and watched behind a bush with Tucker as Danny and Steve flew straight at each other to start the battle off.

Danny threw a punch at Steve but Steve quickly ducked and fired a ghost ray at him. Danny projected an ectoplasmic rebounder and it bounced away. Steve fired another, but Danny kept the rebounder held out and it bounced away as well.

Still with the rebounder up, Danny flew straight at Steve.

Realizing he couldn't hit Danny since his rebounder was still up, Steve dropped below and fired a ghost ray from below Danny. But Danny saw this and diverted his rebounder downward so the ghost ray bounced off once again.

Danny said to Steve, "Had enough, Spirit?"

Steve growled, "Not a chance, Phantom."

But as Steve said this, he knew that Danny had practiced with the rebounder very well. It was deflecting everything he threw at him. But he knew it couldn't protect him from everything.

Steve shouted, "Try this!" He fired another ghost ray with his right hand.

Danny sighed, "Oh, please." He held up the rebounder again to block it. But just after he fired the ghost ray, Steve suddenly fired another ghost ray with his left hand.

Danny gasped, "What the?" He blocked the first ray easily but wasn't fast enough for the second, which hit him in the head and sent him hurtling to the ground. As he did, his rebounder disintegrated.

Danny sat up and rubbed his head, which ached.

Steve looked down at him and shouted, "Not so high and mighty now, huh Phantom?"

Danny growled and fired a ghost ray at Steve, but Steve quickly dodged it. He then flew at a head-long dive toward Danny. Seeing the other hybrid coming, Danny quickly phased through the ground and out of sight.

Steve stopped diving and called out, "Come out, Phantom! There's no respect for being a coward!"

From behind him, Danny said, "Not cowardice, just a temporary retreat to regroup."

Steve turned around and saw Danny, but not fast enough as Danny fired a ghost ray at him, which hit and knocked him down.

Steve got up and fired a ghost ray at Danny, with Danny doing the same. The ghost rays collided and hung in mid-air for a few seconds, and then came a large explosion, knocking both hybrids backward, but they hung in mid-air still. A huge cloud of smoke filled the area where the explosion went off.

Steve tried to fly through the smoke to Danny but coughed as the smoke surrounded him. Then he held his breath and waited for it to clear.

When it cleared, he saw Danny right in front of his face! Danny punched him and he was knocked down to the ground.

Danny then yelled down to Steve, "Don't you get it, Spirit? You're no better than I am!" Then he held out his hand and said, "Couldn't we just burry the hatchet and join forces?"

Steve scowled and angrily replied, "Not gonna happen." Then he flew straight up at Danny and gave him a hard punch with both hands. Steve remained on Danny and drove him up into a tree before letting him go and floating downward.

After a few seconds, Danny dropped out of the thicker part of the tree, bouncing off a few branches before hitting the ground. Unfazed, he got up and fired another ghost ray at Steve. Steve flew out of the way, flying at Danny as he did.

Danny flew upward and away from Steve, and then flew straight down, giving him a hard kick right in the face. Steve fell down and was slow to get up.

Danny landed back on the ground and called out, "Steve, maybe we should stop this before someone gets hurt bad."

Steve glared at Danny and said, "No way." Then he ran at Danny and tried to punch him. Danny flew up and landed behind him.

As he did, Steve smirked, "That's what I hoped you'd do." Then he fired a ghost ray at Danny. Danny ducked and said, "Ha! Missed!"

Steve just smiled, "Did I?"

Just then, Danny heard a loud creaking behind him and saw that the tree had a hole in it and was falling! Danny couldn't get out of the way in time and it fell right on him!

Fearing the worst, Sam and Tucker cried, "DANNY!"

But just then, something rose out through the tree. It was Danny!

Danny phased out of the tree, turned to Steve and said, "Not clever enough, my friend." Then he flew upward, with Steve doing the same.

Steve tried to punch him, but Danny dodged and tried to kick him. His foot connected and Steve went flipping through the air. But as he did, he fired a ghost ray. It was somehow right on the money and it struck Danny, knocking him to the ground.

Still flipping, Steve fired another ghost ray at the ground. It hit right where he was going to fall, and the blast it sent up softened his fall.

Both Danny and Steve got up, with both of them looking exhausted.

Danny panted, "Had enough, Spirit?"

Steve responded, also panting, "You wish, Phantom."

Danny grunted, "Well, take this."

Right after that, Steve said, "Get a load of this."

Then they both opened their mouths wide and started screaming as loud as they could with whatever energy they had left. Powerful waves of energy were emitted from the sound waves and spread in all directions, sending Danny and Steve flying backward. Tucker and Sam covered their ears as the waves passed by them.

Finally the Ghostly Wails stopped, and both Danny and Steve were laying flat face-down on the ground, amazingly, still in ghost mode and still conscious.

Sam called out, "Danny?"

Tucker called out, "Steve?"

Struggling, both hybrids tried to get back on their feet.

As they struggled, Danny thought, _I can't let him win. I've come too far just to stop here. It's my duty to protect this town from danger, not this newbie._

At the same time, Steve thought, _He thinks he's so great. He's nothing special. He's not gonna win this. I'm gonna defeat that brat and assume my rightful place as a hero so I can actually be somebody…and make my parents proud._

After several tense minutes, both Danny and Steve had somehow gotten back on their feet.

Steve panted, "You just don't quit, do you Phantom?"

Danny responded, "Yeah, well neither do you." Then he tried to power up a ghost ray, but it disintegrated in his hand before he could release it.

Danny groaned, "Oh, no. I'm too weak to fire a ghost ray."

Steve then said, "Yeah, well what about me?" He powered his own ghost ray, and unlike Danny's, his shot out of his hand and hit Danny squarely in the stomach. It knocked him down to the ground.

Steve smiled and walked slowly toward Danny as he groaned on the ground. Finally, the two rings went across Danny's body, turning him back into Danny Fenton.

Sam sighed, "The battle is over. Steve Spirit is the winner."

Steve pumped his fist and transformed back into Steve Reynolds willingly, while Danny just lay on the ground, stunned.

Steve looked down at Danny and said, "I'll give you this, Fenton. Your skills are very impressive and you were actually a worthy opponent."

Danny gave a very smile but very real smile.

Steve went on, "But regardless, a deal is a deal. I win, so now I protect this town. But if you want to use your powers to walk through walls or goof off or anything like that, feel free. But if you see any evil, just leave it to me."

Danny got up to his feet and said, "What if I just decide to forget that and fight evil anyway?"

"Because then I'd have to reveal to the whole town who _Inviso-Bill_ is."

Danny scowled, "Hey, nobody calls me that anymore."

"Whatever. If you go back on our deal, then you'll have to pay the price of having your secret exposed."

Sam and Tucker walked towards them, with Sam saying, "You can't do that."

"I'm afraid I can, and I will. We've seen today who was more powerful. That person is the best to protect this town. Agreed?"

Danny stared at Steve for a few seconds, and hung his head, unable to say anything.

Steve smirked, "That would be a 'Yes.' With that, I'll see you three around."

And without another word, Steve turned around and left the park, with the trio's eyes never leaving him, Sam looking angry, Tucker looking baffled, and Danny still looking devastated.

_Wow! Danny lost! Bet you guys weren't expecting that, huh? But don't worry; even though Danny's lost this one and is forced to renounce his superhero duties to Steve, this fic is far from over. There's plenty more to go! Wait until Chapter 6 for more!_


	6. Slump and Surprise

_Hi, people! Everything alright with you? I found time to write this, since I've gotten my research paper done. What did you all think of "The Fright Before Christmas" and "Secret Weapons" last week? I thought both were great; I gave TFBC a 9.2/10 and SW a 9.1/10. Wonder when the next one will air._

_Sorry for the wait, but here we go! Chapter 6 is here!_

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Six: Slump and Surprise**

That weekend, Danny was lying down on his bed, sulking with an empty look in his eyes. It wasn't the first time since his loss to Steve a few days ago.

The door opened and Sam and Tucker walked inside.

"Danny?" Sam said.

Tucker said to him, "Your mom said you were up here."

Without sitting up, Danny said to them, "Hey, guys."

Sam sighed and walked over to him, "Come on, Danny. You've been secluding yourself from the world sulking like this for the past three days now. You can't let that one loss ruin everything for you."

Tucker added, "Yeah. I mean, lighten up, dude."

Danny sighed as he finally sat up, "Tucker, how can I lighten up? I still want to help this town, but I can't! You heard what Steve said if I did anything for anybody! Besides, I think this town wants him more than me anyway."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Danny reached under his bed and pulled out a newspaper. He tossed it to Sam, saying, "Haven't you read the paper?"

Sam caught this day's edition of the Amity Park Angle and read the front headlines aloud, "Ghost Kid Stops Bank Robbery? New Phantom Popular Throughout Amity Park?" She read the rest of it to herself.

When she finished, she put the paper back down on the floor, "I think I see what you mean."

Tucker asked his best friend, "So you haven't gone ghost at all since the battle?"

Danny shook his head, "What's the point anyway? My ghost sense has gone off once or twice, but I had no choice but to ignore it."

Sam asked him, "Did Steve get to that scene?"

"Yep."

Tucker then asked, "What do you do with Steve around school?"

Danny responded, "I've pretty much tried ignoring him. I'm too ashamed to look at him. I'd hate to see that little smirk on his face, knowing that he beat me."

Sam sighed, "Well Danny, you're going to have to snap out of this depression sooner or later."

Danny replied, "There is one benefit to this. Without any ghost troubles, I've had more time to focus on schoolwork. I got an A on our biology quiz yesterday."

"Well, at least your parents will be happy."

"Yeah," Danny said without a smile.

Tucker said to him, "But you're not."

"I'll be okay. Just give me time."

* * *

Next Friday, Danny was feeling a little better. With nothing else to do, Danny had decided to practice with his ghost powers privately, with Sam and Tucker's persuasion. He thought it was pointless, but they said "Just in case".

The three of them sat in English class. They looked around and noticed something: Steve was nowhere in sight. It was his first absence in school since he had moved to Amity Park.

Danny said to them, "Wonder where Steve is."

Mr. Lancer spoke at the head of the class, "Before you go, I will be handing back yesterday's tests. I am pleased to say that a number of you got B's with a few getting A's."

He walked up and down the aisles and passed out the tests. Tucker frowned as he received a "C." Sam gave a smile as she got a "B+." Lancer stopped at Danny's seat and handed him his test, "Very good, Mr. Fenton. You're starting to come around."

Danny smiled as a large letter "A" was written on top of the paper.

Moments later the bell rang, and everyone started out of class.

As the trio began to leave, Lancer called out, "Just one minute, Mr. Fenton."

Danny said, "But sir, I have to get to class."

"I'll write you a pass. Mr. Foley, Miss Manson, you may go."

Sam and Tucker shrugged and walked out.

With that, Danny turned to his teacher and asked, "So what is it, Mr. Lancer?"

"Let me first say that I am very pleased with your turnaround throughout your last week and a half. Looks to me like you're actually studying."

"Well, I've had a lot of free time."

"But something else has peaked my curiosity. In class, you've seemed somewhat down. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Danny said, though not very convincingly, "Everything's fine."

Lancer narrowed his eyes as though he tried to read Danny's mind. He then said, "Very well, Mr. Fenton. Whatever goes on in your out-of-school life is none of my business." He wrote on a slip of paper and gave it to him, "Take this pass. You may go."

Danny took the pass and turned to leave, "See ya."

"Oh, one more thing, Daniel. Steve was called in sick today. He was feeling uh, how do the kids say it?" He looked in his book, "How to Sound Hip for the Unhip" and said, "Whack." He handed Danny a few papers and asked, "Could you bring him his homework today?"

Danny groaned, "Do I have to?"

Lancer narrowed his eyes and Danny knew the answer. He took the papers and said, "I'll get them to him, Mr. Lancer. Have a good weekend."

Again he turned to leave, but Lancer said, "Just one second."

Danny sighed, "What is it?"

"When Steve first moved here, I was delighted to see you and your friends acting friendly toward him. That's exactly what a new student needs to fit in. So I would like for you to get to know him better. Just a suggestion, mind you." Without a response from Danny, Lancer said, "Sorry to hog up your time, Mr. Fenton. You may leave."

Danny turned around and left, with a scowl on his face.

* * *

After school, the trio was walking down a road in downtown Amity Park to where Steve lived.

As they walked, Sam asked, "So do you have any idea where this place is?"

Danny responded, "I've seen the street sometimes when I went on patrol. We'll just follow it to what the actual house is."

They continued to walk for a few more minutes, and then they reached the street. River Street. Danny looked at one paper Lancer gave him with Steve's address on it and said, "Good. Now we just have to find 500."

They looked at one house and saw the number 188 on it.

Tucker sighed, "Looks like we got some walking."

Sam turned to Danny and said with a smile, "You can fly us."

Danny sighed, "Sam, I…"

"The agreement was you can't stop evil. He didn't say you couldn't just fly around."

Danny smiled, "Alright." Then he transformed into Danny Phantom for the first time in over a week. He then picked his friends up, turned them invisible, and flew them through the air down the street.

In no time at all, the numbers were nearing 500. It was going to 486, 488, 490, 494, 496, 498…

Then they saw the next house which had the number 500 on the mailbox, their eyes bugged out. Danny ended up dropping Sam and Tucker, and then falling himself, transforming back into Danny Fenton as he did.

The three of them stood up and looked at the building, staring in disbelief. Now they knew why Steve always dropped the subject about his former home. Now they knew why he never wanted them where he lived.

At a higher part of the building, it said in big letters, "Amity Park Homeless Shelter."

_Well, well, well! Bet that was a surprise to all of you! How will our favorite trio react to knowing Steve's home? Review, and Chapter 7 will be up soon!_


	7. Steve's Story

_Greetings, folks! Everyone excited with the holidays on the horizon? I wanted to get this chapter up before Christmas Day. Hey, did you all see summaries for Danny Phantom's "Flirting With Disaster" and "Micro-Management"? Check out TV . com for them._

_Here we go! Chapter 7 is here!_

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Seven: Steve's Story**

Danny, Sam, and Tucker continued staring at the building in front of them in awe.

Danny said, "I can't believe it."

Sam shook her head, "I know. No wonder he never wanted us over to his place."

Tucker looked at Sam and said, "So…what do we do now?"

Danny said, "Should we still give him his homework?"

Sam responded, "Er…I'm not sure that's such a great idea. He probably won't want us to know he lives here."

Just then a voice rang out, "You're darn right I didn't want you to know."

The three of them gasped. Danny's ghost sense went off as Steve appeared in front of them. He had been invisible, listening to them ever since they had arrived at the building.

Steve glared at them for a few seconds, and then he frowned and sighed, "Well congratulations, you three. Now you've figured out that I don't have a home."

Looking rather grief-stricken, Sam asked him, "Uh, you don't have a family or anything?"

Steve hung his head and didn't answer.

"Oooh," Sam said, "I'm sorry."

"That's okay. You didn't know."

Seeing that he probably didn't want to discuss the matter any further, Danny handed him the papers, "Uh, Mr. Lancer wanted me to give you this. It's today's homework."

Steve took them and muttered, "Thanks."

Tucker said, "Right. Well, see you tomorrow then!" They turned to leave, but then Steve called them back, "Hold up."

The trio turned around and Steve said, "You probably want to know why I live here, don't you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, we didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it."

Tucker whispered to Sam, "You know, I'm getting the freaky feeling that this guy can read minds."

"I heard you, Tucker," said Steve, "No, I can't read minds. I could just tell by your expressions. Look, I haven't told anybody the story of what happened to me, but maybe if I told you, you might understand why I am the way I am."

Slowly, the three of them nodded.

"Very well. First, let's go inside. Don't want to be overheard." Then he went invisible and flew up into a second story window. Danny did the same and flew Sam and Tucker up through it.

When they got in, they saw what Steve's room looked like. There was a long bed with red blankets, a small lamp in the corner, a dresser, a pair of roller blades in the corner, a bowling ball bag in the other corner, and the bottle he had used to trap the Box Ghost that one day, along with other items.

Tucker said, "Kickin' place, dude."

Steve shrugged, "It suits me well."

Sam said to him, "So you were going to tell us why you came here."

"Right. Well, it started a couple weeks before I moved here…"

Tucker interrupted, "Is this going to be a flashback?"

"Yes! Don't interrupt. As I was saying, I was a member of Phillipsburg High School's bowling team…"

Tucker again interrupted, "Your school had a bowling team?"

"Who's telling the story here!"

"Um, you are."

"That's right! Now sit down and shut up, or I'm gonna have to kick all three of you out!"

Tucker was silent.

"Thank you. Now then, my team consisted of my two best friends, Michael and Jeremy, and my girlfriend Kelly. We had just won the state semi-finals for the first time in our school's history, and were heading to dinner with my parents and my sister Trisha…"

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

_A happier Steve Reynolds sat in the back of a large van. In seat next to him was a very pretty brunette girl of fourteen. In the seat in front of them were a freckle-face boy of fifteen, a tall girl with red hair who looked seventeen, and a short boy of fourteen. Steve, the brunette, the freckle-face, and the short boy wore red shirts with the words "The Spirits" across the torsos, and black shoes. A man sat driving up front with a woman in the seat next to him, who were obviously Steve's parents._

_As it stormed outside, Steve yelled, "Whoo! We're going to the finals! How awesome is that, Mickey?"_

_The freckle-faced boy responded, "Awesome, Steve! You think so, Jeremy?"_

_The short kid said, "You know it!"_

"_Yeah!" the girl in the back screamed, "No one's stopping us!"_

_Steve yelled, "Straight up, Kelly!"_

_The redheaded girl scoffed, "Oh, please. It's just some bowling tournament."_

_Steve scowled, "Must you be such a killjoy, Trisha?"_

_Up front, Mr. Reynolds said, "Now kids, please quiet down. I'm very proud that you guys won, but there's a bit of a storm outside and I need to keep my eyes on the road."_

_Steve muttered, "Sorry, Dad," with Trisha doing the same._

_While the others up front talked amongst themselves, Steve said softly to Kelly, "You were awesome today, Kelly."_

_Kelly grinned, "Oh, like I'm not awesome other days?"_

"_No, no, I just, I mean…you're…"_

_Kelly laughed, "Calm down, Stevie. I'm just joking with you."_

"_You know I don't like being called 'Stevie.' You must be punished."_

_Kelly giggled, __"Oooh, I like being punished by you." They leaned in to kiss… _

_Just then, Mr. Reynolds burst out screaming as a truck started skidding right towards them!_

_Mr. Reynolds tried to swerve out of the way, but it was too late. The truck rammed into them and sent the van into a series of flips. In one flip, Steve, who wasn't wearing his seatbelt as usual, was sent crashing through a window and out._

_The truck and van smoked for a few seconds before they crashed into a telephone pole, bending it and snapping the wires off. Electricity sparked from the ends and they dropped downward…right onto a trail of gasoline next to the automobiles._

_In an instant, a large fireball went off as the gas tanks were ignited by the wires, engulfing everything around it._

_Just as Steve had landed, something spilled out of the large truck and drifted underneath him. This turned out to be ectoplasm. Steve didn't feel anything from this. He was just going to turn to see what was going on when another wire of electricity hit the ectoplasm._

_A second later, Steve started screaming as he felt his body burning all over. He thought his skin was going to fry. He saw flashes going before his eyes as he continued screaming…

* * *

_

_Very slowly, Steve opened his eyes. He looked around and saw that he was in the room of a hospital. He looked up and saw a female nurse looking down at him._

_She said, "Steve? Are you awake?"_

_Steve said weakly, "Yeah. I'm awake. What happened?"_

"_You were electrocuted. A trail of ectoplasm got on you and it was zapped by a wayward electrical wire. You're lucky to be alive, son."_

_Steve gave a small smile, but it disappeared as he asked, "What about my folks? And my friends? Where are they?"_

_The nurse frowned and she hung her head._

_Steve stared at her, shaking his head, not daring to believe it…_

_**End Flashback:

* * *

**_

With tears approaching his eyes, Steve said, "I didn't want to believe it. I kept telling myself it wasn't true, that I was going to see them, alive and well. But I had to succumb to the facts. Mom, dad, my sister, my friends, Kelly…they were all gone. They were killed instantly in the explosion."

Sam sniffed back a tear, "Goodness, Steve. That's awful."

Danny hung his head, remembering what had almost befallen himself not too long ago.

Tucker asked, "So what happened after that?"

Steve went on, "Well, not long after that, I realized that the shock I received from the ectoplasm made me half-ghost. Fortunately no one found out."

Danny asked, "Your ghost costume sounds different than your old uniforms."

"Well, I'm excellent at sewing, so a few adjustments," he transformed into Steve Spirit and back, "Made me what you see here."

He went on, "After I got out of the hospital I went to their funeral. I almost killed myself on the inside, but I was able to stick it out. Then social workers wanted to place me in a foster home in that town. But I refused."

Tucker asked him, "How come?"

"Too many memories. Everywhere I went had something that reminded me of them. I demanded that wherever I live, it would have to be out of Phillipsburg. They obliged, and took me where I am now. Since I got the powers, I've been practicing with them in secret."

Sam asked, "Why exactly?"

Steve sighed, "I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to make them proud. I wanted to prove that I could be great to help others for them."

Danny said, "No wonder you tried to show me up. What happened to the bowling team?"

Steve sighed, "Well, I was the only remaining one on the team, so it's not much sense playing when your teammates are…permanently incapacitated. So I forfeited."

Sam put her hand on Steve's shoulder, "Steve…that's terrible for you."

Steve scowled and tugged his arm away. He then shouted, "Why did that have to happen? Why did I have to survive! Why couldn't I have just died with them! WHY!" Then he broke down completely and started crying into his pillow.

Danny walked slowly toward Steve and said, "Steve…I…"

Steve pointed to the door and said, "Just go. Now."

"But I…"

"GO! Or I'll make you leave, Fenton!" He powered up a ghost ray as he said this.

Choosing not to argue, Danny grabbed Sam and Tucker and phased them out of the building, leaving Steve to continue sobbing.

_Aw! What a sad story! What will unfold out of this now? Find out in Chapter 8! Please R/R! But until then, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!_


	8. Vlad's Offer

_Hi, guys! Listen, I am SO sorry for the LONG wait; things have just been so crazy around here that I just haven't found time. I kept putting it off during Christmas break, and then I realized it was over. Next thing I know, I'm swamped. Anyway, I've got time now. And hopefully so do you guys for reading this. Tune in to the new episode tomorrow at 9!_

_Let's get going! Chapter 8 is finally here!_

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Eight: Vlad's Offer**

For the rest of the weekend, our favorite trio stayed as far away from Amity Park Homeless Shelter as they possibly could. They didn't seem to want to discuss the topic of Steve living there, but they were all thinking about it. So they ended up discussing it anyway.

Which leads to Sunday morning…

"No one should have to go through that. It's just too excruciating for anybody to endure."

Tucker groaned, "Gosh, Sam! We've talked about this ever since we left that place two days ago! Can't we let this die down?"

"Tucker, how can you be so insensitive! It's a small wonder you can never find a girl to go out with!"

"Hey, it's not like you can do much better!"

"That's because I never make a fool of myself when…"

Danny suddenly shouted, "Oh, enough already! Stop acting like you know what that guy is feeling! If anyone is thinking about the loss he has taken, it should be me, since I can sort of relate!"

There was silence. Danny realized too late what he had said. He hadn't told anyone what happened when he was at Vlad's castle ten years in the future, nor even what occurred after that. Tucker and Sam stared at him with looks of confusion.

Tucker said, "What are you talking about, Danny?"

Sam said, "Yeah, how can you sort of relate to Steve? You haven't lost anybody close to you since your grandfather, and that was back when we were eight."

Danny sighed. He knew they had to know and he was a bit of a fool for not telling them.

He turned to them and said, "Do you remember a few weeks ago when we went to the future and met my future evil self?"

Sam folded her arms, "How could we ever forget? But it doesn't matter. We all made it back okay. You handed in the C.A.T. answers and now everything's fine."

Danny put his hand up, "That's only half the _real_ story."

Sam raised an eyebrow, while Tucker said, "What _real_ story?"

"You guys made it back okay once you took off Clockwork's time medallions…"

Tucker interrupted, "Actually, that was Sam who…"

"You know how Steve got ticked off when you interrupted his story on Friday? Don't make me do the same!"

Tucker was silent.

"After _Sam_ got the time medallions off, I was going to do the same. But then _he _took my medallion and phased it inside me. Then he tied me up and threw me into the Ghost Zone and used another medallion to go back to the present, disguised as me."

Sam said, "So _he_ was the one we saw after we got back."

"Exactly. In the Ghost Zone, I encountered a few of my foes. Well, how they looked in the future. Oh, you should've seen it. The Box Ghost was buff, Ember was fat, Johnny 13 was in a wheelchair, and…anyway, since I was tied up, I couldn't do anything and they started pounding me."

Tucker then asked, "So what does this have to do with you relating to Steve?"

"I'm getting to that. Then I started screaming, and then I saw I was doing the Ghostly Wail. They were all knocked out, and I was freed from the straps that held me. Then my parents' invention, the Booo-merang hit me. Jazz had discovered my future self in the present and sent me a note attached to her headband on the boomerang."

Tucker scratched his forehead, "How could it have traveled through the Ghost Zone for ten years?"

Danny sighed, "Tucker, if I knew, I would tell you, but I don't, so I won't. Anyway, the note said for me to head to Vlad's portal. So I did. And Vlad told me what happened that caused me to eventually become evil."

Sam asked him, "Didn't it have something to do with all of us being in a Nasty Burger explosion?"

"Yes. You guys, Jazz, Mom, and Dad. Then he said I went to live with him, saying I was miserable. He said I 'wanted to make the hurt go away'. He told me he removed my ghost half. Then he said he removed Vlad's own ghost half, and then went to overshadow him. Instead, they mixed. Vlad said that 'his evil side overwhelmed mine'.

With his voice trembling, Tucker said, "What happened next?"

"I asked about my human half, but he just said, 'Some things are better left unsaid'. I knew it was no good arguing."

Sam looked puzzled, "I don't understand. That hasn't happened."

"In a minute, Sam. I then asked Vlad to get the medallion out of me. He did, and I returned to the present, where you guys were already tied to the vat of nasty sauce by my future self. I fought him."

Tucker said, "But you didn't…"

"Quiet, Tuck. I was pounded, but then I used the Ghostly Wail twice and sucked him into the thermos. But I was too weak to get back and save you guys. The vat exploded. But I was lucky right there."

They both looked baffled.

"Clockwork appeared, took the thermos, and turned back time to when you saw me hand in the answers. That's why everything's hunky-dory."

Both Tucker and Sam were silent.

Danny looked stern as he said, "So if anybody should feel Steve's pity, it should be me. It technically wasn't _me_ me, but it was still…me."

Sam put her hand on his shoulder, "I had no idea."

"I know," Tucker said, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Danny answered, "It was too hard."

"Gee," Sam said, "I wonder how Steve feels now that we know what he's gone through."

* * *

At this moment, Steve was sitting on a bench in the park, still thinking about the tale he had told the trio on Friday.

He sighed and thought, _How am I going to be able to fight ghosts thinking about this? I could just let Danny do it…No! He wouldn't do as good anyway._

He stood up and said out loud, "I'm not gonna shut myself away like a little baby. I'll go about my business as usual."

A voice rang out, "A business man, eh? Well young Steven, I have a business proposition for you."

Steve's ghost sense went off as Vlad Plasmius phased through the ground and appeared in front of him.

"Hey," Steve said, "You're that ghost I fought with Phantom that one day!"

"Vlad Plasmius is the name. You must be Steven Reynolds, a.k.a. Steven Spirit."

"Don't call me Steven," Steve said, transforming into Steve Spirit. He fired a ghost ray at Vlad, who projected his shield and it bounced away.

Plasmius smirked, "I haven't come here to fight you, young man. I have other ideas in store for you."

Steve raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, all I ask is that you join me."

"What? Join you? Why would I do that?"

"Think about it, young man. You don't have a father, and I don't have a son. I happen to be like you. No friends, no family, and a half-ghost as well. I'll have at least one person to call my own."

"And what would I get?"

"In return, you get a real home in my luxurious castle in Wisconsin. And, I teach you all the powers I know. You could become much _much_ stronger than Daniel than you are even now!"

Curious, Steve asked, "Well, what did you have in mind in using these powers for?"

"Oh, just ruling the world, stuff like that."

"You mean, use them for evil? Sorry, buddy. That ain't for me."

"Come now. In that, you would be destroying Daniel as well. Don't you hate him? Aren't you angry at him because he tried to prove he was better than you? That he now knows where you came from?"

Steve sighed and thought for a minute. He said, "That _would _make me so much stronger."

"Yes?"

"But I won't do it. My parents would be super ashamed of me if I ever used my powers for evil."

Vlad frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that, my dear boy. Well, I guess there's only one more thing for me to do."

"Let me go and destroy Danny instead?"

"Oh, that's for later. You are stronger than him, and no one will protect you, so it's _you_ who I do away with today."

"But you said you didn't come to fight me!"

"Oh my dear boy, I don't mean half the things I say. Just like this. This won't hurt a bit." He fired a ghost ray at Steve, and it knocked him backward.

Steve fired back, but Vlad calmly dodged it. He then smirked, "Give it up, Steven. Your powers are nowhere near up to my level, and no one is coming to help you."

_Oh boy! Now Steve finds himself in danger! Can he defeat Vlad Plasmius alone? Or perhaps Danny will be coming by? But now I've said too much! For the rest, please wait until Chapter 9!_


	9. The Final Fight

_Hello, folks! Listen, I understand the scarcity in reviews for Chapter 8 because it was rather dull. I just felt it was necessary to write. I promise that things will pick up in Chapter 9. Just so you all know, this fic is drawing to an end. Only 2 chapters left, I believe._

_Right now, I'm feeling quite angry, but not near as much as Tuesday night. Believe everything I'm going to say, because it's true, from Butch Hartman himself. Danny Phantom will have 13 episodes in Season 3, which is currently scheduled to finish in February of 2007, and then the show is going to be canceled! Check out butchhartman . com and go to his forum for the official word. Bummer, yes. But with some petitions and letters, who knows? Maybe Nickelodeon will renew the show then!_

_But for now, here we go! Let's hit Chapter 9! Just so you know, I've decided to change the rating to "T" because of intense fight scenes._

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Nine: The Final Fight**

"You guys want to go for a walk?" Danny asked a few minutes later.

Sam shrugged, "It's better than just sitting here doing nothing."

With that, the three of them got up and headed out of Fenton Works and down the street.

As the trio walked, Sam asked Danny, "Are you going to talk to Steve about this?"

"Which part?" Danny asked, "The him being in the homeless shelter part, or the me and my experience with my evil future self part?"

"Uh…both. Or maybe just one of them."

"More likely the first one than the second. He'd reckon I was full of baloney if I told him about traveling through time. As for the first, I'd have to wait until he's calmed down a bit before actually talking to him."

Tucker spoke, "Well, you can't let it wait too long."

"I know. I'll just have to wait for the right moment."

They had reached the park when Danny's ghost sense went off. A few seconds later, Tucker pointed to the sky and said, "Hey, what's that?" Something in the air a distance from them was hurtling towards them!

Sam shouted, "Look out!" The three of them got out of the way as the figure crashed into the ground, making a small hole in it.

The three of them looked to see who had landed and saw that it was Steve.

"Steve?" Danny said.

Steve Spirit opened his eyes and said, "Danny?"

Sam said to him, "What in the world happened to you?"

"Allow me to explain," said a voice behind them.

Vlad Plasmius flew towards them with an evil sneer on his face.

Danny yelled, "Plasmius! What are you doing here?"

"Ah, hello, Daniel! How have you been? Well, you see, I asked young Steven to join me, which he unfortunately declined. And since I know of him to be a stronger opponent than you, I cannot afford to have him as a threat any longer."

"You're destroying him?"

He applauded, "Oh, well done! You are not as dim as you appear! Congratulations!"

Danny's eyes flashed green.

"Oooh, another temper flare of yours, I see. But this concerns you not, young man. I suggest you leave before I decide to waste you as well. Steven and I have a little business to attend to." He fired a ghost ray at Steve, who rolled out of the way just in time.

Seeing Steve was in trouble, Danny called out, "Steve! Let me help!"

Steve stubbornly yelled back, "Forget it, Fenton! I can take this chump on my own!" He flew straight at Plasmius. He chuckled, and pulled his cape over himself, disappearing as he did this.

Steve shouted, "Where are you, Plasmius? Come on out!"

"As you wish." Vlad appeared behind Steve and blasted him with a ghost ray, knocking him to the ground.

Tucker said, "Has he been able to hit Vlad even once since the fight began?"

Plasmius answered for him, "Afraid not, young Mr. Foley." Then he flew down at Steve, who frantically phased through the ground. He flew back up a few feet away and fired a ghost ray at Vlad. This one finally found its target and knocked Vlad sideways.

Steve yelled to Vlad, "Now I hit you!"

Vlad smirked, "Oooh, bravo. One hit. Perhaps I should give you a medal."

Hating Vlad more and more by the second, Steve flew at Vlad and tried to punch him. But Vlad's own fist connected with Steve's face before Steve had even started to bring his own fist forward. Blood now spurted from Steve's face as he flipped through the air.

Danny was watching this with a face showing angst. He said, "I can't just stand around and watch this."

Tucker said to him, "But you know the deal. You fight a ghost, your secret's no secret anymore."

Sam's words were more encouraging, "But it's your choice, Danny."

Danny sighed. He then said, "If that's the price for helping out someone who is in grave need of help, so be it."

Sam said, "You mean you're going to…"

"I'M GOING GHOST!"

The rings went through Danny's body, and he transformed into Danny Phantom.

By this time Vlad had Steve in a stranglehold in mid-air. Steve was trying to pry Vlad's hands off his neck, but he was too tired. Plasmius laughed, "Had enough, my young foe?"

Danny flew up to Vlad and shouted, "Maybe he has, but I haven't!" He fired a ghost ray at Vlad and it hit him in the face, bruising it up a bit. He was forced to let go of Steve, who dropped a few feet before regaining his balance.

Steve then flew up to Danny and said rather quietly, "We had a deal, Phantom."

Danny look perplexed for a second, wondering where Steve was going at with this.

Then Steve gave a very small smile and said, "Thanks for going back on it. You saved my butt right there."

"No problem. Should we take this jerk on together?"

Steve hesitated, and then said, "Yeah. Together." They both turned to face Vlad, who was now frowning.

Plasmius called out sarcastically, "Oh no! Now I have _both_ you little pests teaming up against me! Oooh, I'm so scared!"

Danny shouted, "Take this!" He fired a ghost ray at Vlad, but he deflected it with his shield.

Steve flew at Vlad from the left, while Danny took the right side. Vlad saw them both coming and flew up out of the way. Both Danny and Steve collided with a _crunch!_

Both of them dropped to the ground while Vlad was clutching his ribs from laughing so hard.

Steve asked Danny, "You alright?"

Danny rubbed his head and said, "I've got some bleeding in the back of my head, but yeah. You know, we could've planned that a little better."

Steve answered as blood trickled down his leg, "Alright. How about I start firing ghost rays at him and you fly toward him and tried to hit him with a punch or kick."

"That sounds good."

Steve fired a ghost ray at Vlad. He had now stopped laughing and dodged the ray. Steve continued firing while Danny carefully flew towards Vlad from his blind side.

But as he approached Vlad, something else hit Danny from his side. And to add injury to insult, Steve had fired a ghost ray, and Danny was knocked right into it.

Fortunately the ghost ray knocked Danny right towards Vlad, and he gave him a kick in the face. Blood shot from Vlad's face as well as he was knocked backward.

Danny then looked around, "But who hit me…?"

Danny looked to where he had been hit and saw a Vlad duplicate!

The second Vlad said, "Did you honestly think you two could pull a sneak attack on me?"

Danny responded, "Well, actually, we thought we could pull a sneak attack on the original Vlad, not you."

Both Vlad's growled and fired ghost rays at Danny and Steve. They were both hit and knocked down to the ground, where they both groaned.

Both Plasmius's laughed and flew down to the two teenagers, whom had both stood up, though quite slowly.

Each Vlad formed an ectoplasmic paddle and tried to hit both Danny and Steve with it. Danny flew out of the way, while Steve jumped away. It missed and Steve landed on the ground, sliding a few feet as he did. A few sparks flew from his feet as they did.

One Vlad fired a ghost ray at Steve and hit him square. But everyone was surprised to see Steve standing there looking fine!

Steve looked as shocked as anybody. He said, "Hey, I didn't feel a thing."

As he said this, Danny saw a few more sparks flying off the ground by his feet. Then he had an idea.

"Steve!" Danny shouted, "Move your feet back and forth on the ground as much as you can!" He started doing it himself. Steve looked confused, but he began doing the same. Sparks were flying from their feet, and more were coming, looking brighter and brighter.

Both Vlads looked confused, but they both began to fire ghost rays at Danny and Steve. They hit, but they were both unaffected. The sparks had now become light and were shining very bright, now moving up from their feet to their shins.

Apparently, because of their ectoplasmic makeup, part of being ghosts, Danny and Steve could absorb ghost rays by charging ectoplasm in their feet, and maybe even fire it back. This was only a theory for Danny, but would it work?

"Steve!" Danny screamed, "Over here!"

Steve moved over to Danny and the light around them shone even brighter.

Both Vlads, Tucker, and Sam could only stare in awe at the sight in front of them.

Finally Danny shouted, "Now! Fire the ghost rays!"

A giant portion of light finally shot from Danny and Steve, and it flew straight at the two Vlads. They desperately put up their shields, but it wasn't near strong enough. They were blasted upward _very_ far. It was a full fifteen seconds from the time that the blasts had hit them to the time they hit the ground!

Vlad changed back into Vlad Masters as Danny and Steve stood above him, changing back into Danny Fenton and Steve Reynolds.

Steve smiled, "Read it and weep, Vlad. We beat you."

Vlad replied, "In battle, yes. But Vlad Plasmius does not always win just by fighting."

Then, before either of them could even blink, Vlad pulled out a small chip the size of a beetle and placed it on Steve, which latched onto his skin! He tried to do the same for Danny, but he jumped out of the way.

"What the heck was that?" Danny asked.

"What's this chip for?" Steve asked.

As Sam and Tucker walked over, Vlad answered, "A new gizmo I've invented, the Plasmius Chip. It latches onto a ghost's skin and holds there, and I control it with this remote." He pulled a remote out of his pocket.

Steve said with a rather shaky voice, "What are you gonna do?"

"What I came to do when you chose not to join me." He pushed a red button.

In an instant, Vlad phased away through the ground, saying, "Ta!"

Just then, the chip on Steve went off with a **_BOOM!_** A large fiery ball of smoke appeared in Steve's place. Danny jumped backward as the blast went off. As the smoke cleared, Danny screamed, "STEVE!"

_Big cliffhanger here! Danny and Steve have settled their differences and beaten Vlad, but oh no! Big explosion right here! Did Steve survive that large boom! Find out in the concluding Chapter 10, coming soon! _


	10. Friends

_Aloha, readers! Sorry there was ANOTHER long wait; things just kept on coming up. Hey, just in case you all don't know, the next Danny Phantom episode, "Beauty Marked" is scheduled to air February 24 at 9:00 PM! Check out TV . com for the summary, and don't you dare miss it!_

_And don't you all dare miss this! The concluding Chapter 10 of "Ghostly Competition" is here at last!_

**Ghostly Competition**

**Chapter Ten: Friends**

Some time later, in Amity Park Hospital, Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat in the waiting room. They had gotten Steve there as fast as possible, and now all they could do was wait while doctors operated on him.

Sam gave a long sigh, "Geez, I hope he's going to be okay."

Tucker shrugged, "I don't know, Sam. He looked really mangled from that explosion."

Danny growled, "When I see Plasmius again, whether Steve makes it or not, I am gonna tear him limb from…"

Sam put her hand on Danny's shoulder, "Danny, this isn't a time to anger yourself over Vlad. Right now, we have to pray and hope that Steve makes it out of this okay."

Danny sighed. He didn't know what to think.

A minute later, a male doctor who looked to be in his thirties walked towards them with a clipboard in his hands and a worried look on his face.

The trio looked up as he stopped at their seats.

The doctor asked, "Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley?"

The three of them nodded, with their throats now too tight to speak.

"I am Dr. Jenkins. You are the ones who brought Steve Reynolds in a little while ago?"

They nodded again. Sam said to him, "Dr. Jenkins, please, how is Steve?"

Dr. Jenkins sighed, "I'm afraid he is not good at all. He has a number of gashes and broken bones, but he has also taken much damage on his internal organs that is...unrepairable. We have him on life support right now, but it doesn't look like it will do much more than prolong his life for just a few more minutes."

Sam gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. Tucker sighed. Danny slowly hung his head.

"Fortunately, Steve is awake now. He has asked to see Danny."

The three of them began to walk towards his room, but Dr. Jenkins held up a hand, "No, no. Not you two, just Danny."

Tucker and Sam sadly sat back down while Danny followed Dr. Jenkins into Steve's room a short distance down the hall.

Dr. Jenkins led Danny in and said, "I'll leave you two alone." He closed the door and left Danny inside.

Danny turned to Steve's bed and gasped. Steve was lying in the bed. Patches of his skin had bandages on them, and a number of tubes went inside him. His eyes were open halfway.

Steve spoke very weakly, "Danny…"

Danny walked towards the fellow hybrid. It seemed to take him an eternity before he finally reached the side of Steve's bed and got down on one knee.

Danny said, "How are you?"

Steve answered, "Kind of…and obvious question, Danny. I feel…like I'm about…to die."

Danny sighed. He said, "So why did you only want to see me?"

"First of all…I wanted…to say I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"I acted…like a selfish…and arrogant jerk to you. I shouldn't have."

"It's okay. You had Amity Park's best interests at heart. And I guess I should apologize too."

Steve laughed dryly, "You…apologize? For what?"

"I let my pride as this town's protector get the better of me. I wanted to prove I was better. I just wanted to keep helping the town."

"It's okay. But…two skilled ghosts like us…would've been…better off working…together."

"Yeah. It would've been nice."

"Hey, Danny…could I get one…last request?"

"Anything, Steve."

"Just…don't tell anyone…I was a ghost. I feel it…would be an insult to…my memory. I enjoyed…my privacy."

"Consider it done."

"One more thing. Do you…see that note…on the table?"

Danny saw a note sitting on the table and picked it up. He said, "This note?"

"Yes. Read it. I had…a nurse write it for me."

Danny read it out loud.

_For my last will and testament, I leave everything I own to Daniel Fenton. It can be picked up at 500 River Street, the Amity Park Homeless Shelter._

_Steven Taylor Reynolds_

Danny gave a warm smile as he turned back to Steve, "Thanks."

Steve smiled back, "This includes…super-hero duties…for Amity Park."

Danny responded, "Thanks again."

"You're welcome…friend."

"We're friends?"

Steve nodded, "Too bad…this friendship…is so short."

"Yeah."

"At least…I will…be back with…my family and friends."

"You must be filled with joy at that thought."

Steve smiled, with Danny doing the same. Just then, Steve started gasping.

Danny gasped, "Steve?"

Steve sounded wheezy as he gasped, "This…is it."

"No! It can't be!"

"I'm…sorry…Danny. My time…has come."

"But…Steve…"

Steve let out one last gasp of air, "Goodbye…Danny Phantom."

He said no more as his body fell limp and his eyes fell closed. The line that monitored Steve's heart became a single beeping and the line was straight.

Danny sniffed back tears as he slowly turned around and walked out of the room.

* * *

"Amen," the priest said as he closed the bible and walked away. 

It was Amity Park Cemetery, where a number of people were gathered together surrounding a coffin with Steve's body inside. A short distance from it was the gravestone.

_Steven Taylor Reynolds_

_1991-2006_

_A brave hero_

_A true friend_

It was Danny who decided what the gravestone marking would be. As the people around him walked away, Danny never turned his eyes away from the gravestone and never moved his feet.

Danny lingered in the cemetery long after everyone else had left, continuously thinking about the events over the last couple of weeks.

_I just can't believe he's gone. After all that, when we were just starting to come around, when we had just managed to defeat Plasmius…he's gone._

_But in a way…I feel happy for you, Steve. You'll be back with your family and friends, in a peaceful place._

_Farewell, Steve Spirit._

He never spoke, and the day drifted into night before he finally left.

* * *

The next day, Danny just looked at Steve's former merchandise in his bedroom. Tucker and Sam were there as well. 

Danny sighed, "I can't take this."

Tucker said, "Dude, he just left it all to you. Take it."

"No. I'm not going to use any of this stuff. It's his stuff, not mine."

Sam asked, "Then who are you going to give it to?"

"I'm not giving it to anybody. Come with me."

The three of them went upstairs to the op-center. There, Danny led them to a room in the very back. On the door said "Memories."

Sam asked, "What's this?"

Danny answered, "This is a door where we keep all memories. Old photo albums, school yearbooks, etc. I'm putting all Steve's stuff in here, never to be touched."

Tucker asked, "You sure you want to do this, man?"

Danny nodded as he lugged all of Steve's stuff in, "Positive."

Tucker and Sam joined in the lugging. When it was all done, they left, with Sam saying, "I think you're doing the right thing."

"Me too. Steve's gone, but there's something very important I've learned from all this."

"What's that?" Tucker asked.

"That no matter how powerful I turn out to be or how good I have it, there's always going to be someone out there who's more powerful, and who truly deserves there chance in the limelight. I'm sure Steve went out in a way that he preferred."

Sam and Tucker put both their hands on Danny's shoulders and Sam said, "I think you're right, Danny."

"And no matter what, even though Steve and I had our differences and arguments, he will always be my…friend."

The three of them smiled.

Just then, Danny's ghost sense went off. He looked out the window and saw a ghost raven flying across town.

"Also," said Danny, transforming into Danny Phantom, "That no matter how tough my job is, it's still…mine."

Tucker gave him a thumbs up, "Go get it, dude."

"Gladly," Danny said, and then flew out the window.

_**The End**_

_And that's it. Bet you weren't expecting that! That's not usually my style of writing, putting character death in there, but in this case, I just wanted to try something different. Anyway, glad you all enjoyed it! This fic was quite unsuccessful, but I still enjoyed writing it. Expect my next work later this month. Until then, JK rulez signing off!_


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